US jury finds Vegas police fabricated evidence in 2001 killing, awards $34M to exonerated woman
Associated PressLAS VEGAS — A federal jury in Nevada has awarded more than $34 million to a woman who was arrested at age 18, wrongly convicted twice, and served nearly 16 years in a Nevada state prison for a 2001 killing she did not commit. Kristin Lobato, who is now 41 and uses the name Blaise, cried and hugged her attorneys after a judge read the trial verdict Thursday in U.S. District Court, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. “And I’m happy that it’s all finally finished.” Lobato said she didn’t know if becoming a millionaire would make up for years in prison, adding that she had “no idea what the rest of my life is going to look like.” The civil trial jury found Las Vegas police and two detectives, now retired, fabricated evidence during their investigation and intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon Lobato. Lobato was 18 when she was interviewed by police without an attorney, arrested and charged with killing Duran Bailey in Las Vegas in July 2001. Last October, a state court judge in Las Vegas issued a certificate declaring Lobato innocent of Bailey’s killing.
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